Automobile-signal.



E. FREY.

AUTOMOBILESIGNAL.

APPLICATION FII. ED MAY 23, I917.

1,277,303. Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

IA VEN TOR. Ez/fcmFrfy BY QQW A TTORNE YS.

, EUGENE EREY, F OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMOBILE-IGNAL.

awson.

Application filed May 21%, 1917. Serial No. 170,774.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EUGENE FREY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oakland, in the county ofAlameda and State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .Automo'bile-Signals, of

a which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in signaling devices for vehiclesadapted 1ndicate to an approaching vehicle the d rection which the onecarrying the signal is construct the signal that it may be easily at-'tached to existing vehicles and will be visible both from the front andrear. 7.

With these and other objects in" view, the invention consists of certainnovelj features of construction, combinations and arrangements of .partshereinafter described and more specifically pointed out the appendedclaims; it being understood that changes in form, proportion, size andminor details of construction within the scope of the claims may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention orsacrificing anyof the advantages thereof.

Referring to the drawing forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a view in section throu h a' vehicle looking toward thefront thereo and showing two of my improved signals in position. i

Fig. 2 is a View in elevation of one of. the

sighnals in its extended position.

3 is a view in elevation taken the opposite side of Fig. 2'andshowingthe' signal almost folded. v

Fig. 4 is a view in plan with the :outer end of the signal in its openposition. i.

- Referring to corresponding parts of the several views by the samenumerals ofreferonce, 1 denotes the vehicle body and 3 and 4 denote'twoof my improved signals, one of which is mounted oneach side of thevehicle.

' Each of these signals consists of a bracket 5 which is adapted to beattached to some ri 'd part of the vehicle body as the windshield frame,instrument-board or similar structure.

Rigidlyattached in this bracket is an arm 6, th1s armbeing inclined atsubstantially 45 degrees, having pivotally mounted on its outer end, alink 7 To the outer end of tliis link, and to the arm 6, intermediateits ends, are pivotall attached links 8 and 9 respectively, whic linksare pivotally attached to each other at their centers and have the outerends 9' connected to other similar lmks, thus forming a lazy-tongsarrangemcnt' of any'desired number of sections.

The rivets or other fasteningmeans 8' have a central opening for thepurpose hereinafter set forth. l

The outer end links of this lazy-tongs are denoted by 10 and 11. Theselinks are pivotally connected at their center shown at 12 and on thesame pivot-pin-is connected a socket member 13.

Denoted in general by -14 is a square boxhke structure, the sides 20,122and 23 of j which are hinged to each otheron-the four corners. Theopposite corners 16 and 17 which are inalinement with the axis of theIggy-tongs, are provided with openings 18 s clently large to allow thepassage of the socket member. 13 and an'.illuminat1ng lamp 15 which iscarried thereby- 7 1 The pivotlain 21 of th' hinged corner 17assesthroug y the I latter isf-always symmetrically disthesocketmember13 where-' Speciflcatio Leters latent. Patented Aug. 27, I

posed with respect to the lazy-tongs and the box-like member 14. 1 a w v'The outer ends of links 10 and-11 are attached to the sides 22 and 23v2& means of spr ngs 24. 'One end of ea of these springs 1s clampedrigidly to the box sides while their other ends are pivotally attachedto the endsof links Miami 11. This con struction provides for thenecessary relative movement between the ends of the links and 'the boxsides and at the sametime assists in restoring the parts totheir-'normalijfolded position. i 7? A flexible membrane 25 is attachedto the sides of member 14 and is formedin" two triangular sections, eachof which is'creased along the lines 26'whereby, when the boxlikestructure is colla sed, the membrane will fold as shown in ig. 3. i

From the socket 13 a flexible cable 30 is provided which passes throughthe openings of the rivets 8" of each alternate link of the lazy-tongs,its other end running 'to'asource of electric current. The other side'of the circuit may be grounded on the frame and I provide a switchwhich causes the lamp to be lighted only when the si al is extended.

Pivotally mounted on t e same point with link? is a bell-crank lever 31having its one arm 32 pivotally attaehed'to the junction of arms 7 and 8and having connected. to its other arm 33, the operating rod 34.

Onarm 6 is a metallic clip 35 which is insulated therefrom and arrangedto make contact with the bell-crank lever 33 when the latter is moveddownwardly. The other side of the electrical circuit connected to thisclip as by theconductor 36, which, in turn, leads tothe source ofcurrent.

The operating means for these signals are preferably mounted on thesteeringpost 37 as shown in Fig. l and consists of the lever arms 41 and42 for signals 3, and 4 respectively. To these arms are fastened theother ends of the operating rods 34, which pass through suitableflexible tubular structures 38 whereby the movement of the lever armswill cause the reciprocation of the rods 34.

The signals are normally retracted .as shown at 3 and when the turn isto be made, say to the right, then the right hand lever 42 is movedcausing the rod 34 to slide within the tubular support 38 therebyrotating the bell-crank lever 31' of signal 4.

'This extends the lazy-tongs arrangement and the ends of the outer linksof the latter move'the box-like member so that itssides open in a squareshape as shown in Fig; 2.

A flexible. membrane is stretched taut and the lamp assumes a-positionapproximately .in the center of the box 23. This membrane is preferablyofla red "color and when the bell-crank reaches its lowermost position,.contact is made with the clip, v35 whereby a circuit is established tothe metallic structure comprising the lazy-tongs and the lamp islighted. It will, of course, be understood that during the day suitablemeans are provided for throwing the electrical circuit out 1. A signalof the character described comprising a lazy-tongs having one end fixed,a foldingstructure carried on the opposite end of said lazy-tongs, afoldable membrane between the sides of said structure and means forextending said lazytongs.

2. A signal of the character described comprising a lazy-ton s havingits inner end held stationary, a ox-like member attached to the outerend of said tongs and adapted to fold or open when said tongs are foldedor opened, a flexible membrane extending between the edges of saidmember, illuminating means back of said membrane, and means foroperatingsaid lazy-tongs.

3. signal of the character described comprismg a lazy-tongs having oneend fixed, a lever for moving said lazy-tongs, a collapsible rectangularmember having two of 1ts sides attached to the outer links of sa1dlazy-tongs, a lamp socket mounted on the outer end of said lazy-tongs soas to be held in alinement with the, axis thereof, an illuminating lampin said socket adapted to be positioned in the center of said rectangular member when the latter is unfolded, and means for completing anelectric circuit to said lamp when said lazy-tongs are extended.

ingmeans when said-tongs are extended.

5. A signal for vehicles comprising a series of pairs of links, thelinks of each pair being pivotally connected to each other at theircenters and the ends of each pair being pivotally connected tothe end ofthe .adjacent pair, an operating lever pivotally attached to the end ofone of the links of the first pair, a fixed arm to which the end of theother link of the first pair is attached, a square foldable memberhaving its sides pivotally attached to each other, spring hingesattaching the end of the outer pair of links to adjacent sides of saidsquare member, a lamp socket attached to the pivotal point of said lastpair of links, a pivot pin extending through the hinge of said adj acentsides and said socket, a flexible translucent membrane attached'to thesides of said square member, an electric lamp in said socket adapted tobe positioned in the center of said square member when the latter isunfolded, and means for completing an electric current to said lamp whensaid links are moved to unfold said square member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EUGENE FREY.

